Ferguson Police Train With Less Lethal Gun Attachment

Police in Ferguson, Missouri have started training with a firearm attachment billed as a less lethal way to subdue a suspect.

The "Alternative," created by California-based Alternative Ballistics, is a bright orange device that is affixed to the end of an officer's handgun. It then encases the bullet and slows it down.

The projectile is supposed to have enough force to knock a person to the ground, but not break the skin.

The effort comes after the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown over the summer by a white Ferguson police officer.

Assistant police chief Al Eickhoff told The Washington Post he hopes officers can start using the device on the streets "soon."

“Is it going to work every time? Probably not ... it’s not a catch-all. Every situation is different. But it gives an officer, if time allows — and that’s important, if time allows — a chance to save a life instead of taking a life," he said.

Critics, however, argue that an officer could expose himself or herself to harm while taking valuable seconds to remove the device from their belt and place it on the gun.